Santa Cruz >> In a historic deal in local journalism, Metro Newspapers, the parent company of the Santa Cruz Weekly, has acquired the Weekly”s primary competitor, the 39-year-old weekly Good Times.

Metro”s Chief Executive Officer Dan Pulcrano announced the deal Monday. The acquisition from MainStreet Media Group also includes the two dailies the Gilroy Dispatch and the Morgan Hill Times. Pulcrano declined to state the acquisition”s price.

He did say, however, that the Santa Cruz Weekly and Good Times would combine into one publication, under the Good Times nameplate.

“We will be consolidating operations but keeping both nameplates alive in some fashion,” said Pulcrano. “In about a week, we”ll be distributing jointly in a single package with aspects of both publications.”

Pulcrano also said that he would be retaining “the majority of both staffs,” but declined to state who would be the editor of the new product. Currently, Greg Archer is the editor of Good Times, which has a staff of 19; Steve Palopoli of the Santa Cruz Weekly.

The acquisition doubles the numbers of newspapers under the Metro Newspapers banner, which also includes Metro Silicon Valley in San Jose and the North Bay Bohemian in Santa Rosa.

“We”re actually excited about the future of print,” said Pulcrano. “It has shown tremendous resilience. Even during the last 20 years of digital media, weeklies seem to have been the survivors.”

Until January, MainStreet Media – the corporate parent of Good Times – was a subsidiary of the investment fund the Brookside Group. Pulcrano said that generally in the newspaper industry, “it”s no longer fashionable for the investment community to invest in publishing, but it”s a great business for owner/operators.”

Pulcrano has a long history with Santa Cruz”s alternative journalism community. A UC Santa Cruz grad, he worked for the now defunct Santa Cruz Independent and was briefly the editor of the first incarnation of the Santa Cruz Weekly, and was the founder of the Student Guide. The current Santa Cruz Weekly began publishing in 1994 as Metro Santa Cruz.

Good Times publisher Ron Slack, reached at a conference in Washington, D.C., said that he would “probably” not be retained.

“I don”t think I slept too much last night if at all,” said Slack. “I just have so many memories of what this newspaper has accomplished in the 13 years since I”ve been here. I”m so proud and honored to have worked with so many dedicated and passionate people.”

Slack said that once MainStreet Media sold its papers in San Diego in late 2013, he knew that Good Times was also on the market. He also said that he tried to put together a local investment group to purchase Good Times, but was unsuccessful, partly because the Gilroy and Morgan Hill papers were to be part of any sale.

Slack said in recent years, Good Times didn”t get much support from its corporate parent in much-needed upgrades in equipment and software. He said that he hopes the new ownership will work to improve the paper”s infrastructure.

“When I came here, we were pretty much on a level playing field (with the Weekly),” said Slack. “Since that time, we have resonated at a much stronger level in spite of the name change, the change in paper stock. And, more importantly, they went through three editors, three publishers in that time period. And when you have that kind of change at the top, it makes it difficult to maintain a strong footing. But I know that Dan has been in the business as long if not longer than I have. He knows the business. He has an excellent paper in San Jose. Editorial is very important to him. I have all the hopes that he will continue what we have put together and hopefully will make strides to improve.”

In a letter to advertisers Monday, Santa Cruz Weekly Publisher Jeanne Howard wrote that Wednesday will be the last issue of the Weekly and that all ads scheduled for the Weekly will be placed in the Good Times effective April 9.

Good Times has a circulation of 35,000.

“GTWeekly.com will continue to feature the digital version of the newspaper, and SantaCruz.com will serve as the county”s premier guide, focusing on events, dining, nightlife and things to do,” Howard wrote.

“Good Times will be the county”s free weekly, emphasizing features, news, arts, entertainment and food coverage.”